As ICE Hunts Families, Philadelphia Breaks Ties with Agency

“On his first day in office, newly elected Mayor Kenney reaffirmed that the City of Philadelphia is in fact the city of brotherly love. As ICE raids sew new levels of fear in our communities, Mayor Kenney is making sure local officials have nothing to do with it, ” explains Erika Almiron, director of Juntos.

Within hours of being sworn in, Kenney signed an executive order rescinding Philadelphia’s participation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s PEP-Comm program, reversing the political move his predecessor, Nutter, had maneuvered shortly before leaving office and rebuking DHS Secretary Johnson’s statement regarding the city’s participation.

Similar to cities that rejected the DHS program Secure Communities, Philadelphia is thus far ensuring its residents’ safety by maintaining a bright line between local law enforcement and federal deportation efforts, something that advocates say is especially necessary as recent ICE raids spread unprecedented fear throughout immigrant communities.

Almiron continued, “The fear generated by ICE’s raids doesn’t stay contained to that agency. ICE makes people afraid of anyone in uniform. As the agency once again shows itself to have no regard for civil rights or family values, we need our elected leaders to stand up and denounce the harm of deportations.”

Referring to the debacle at Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day parade, Almiron concludes, “In his executive order today, Mayor Kenney places Nutter’s empty political maneuver where it belongs, alongside the Mummer’s brown face, in the dustbin of history.”

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